Private View Nibbles - Mum's Cheese Oxo Biscuits

I've been meaning to pop a recipe up on here since Christmas, when I wanted to treat you to my take on the sumptuous Italian gorgeousness that is Chocolate Salami.

Sadly, I was far too busy (maybe this year) so please forgive me and accept this humble offering instead.

I remember loving these biscuits as a kid and I've been nagging Mum to dig out this recipe for ages, but she couldn't find it.  Finally it turned up, so I'm baking a batch for the Ditchling Road Open House private view tomorrow evening.  Why not knock up a batch of your own and recreate the full PV experience by looking through an art book or something while you scoff them with a glass of wine.

CHEESE OXO BISCUITS

INGREDIENTS
4oz plain flour
4oz margarine
3oz Cheddar cheese
1 Oxo cube (I used the vegetable one, but the original recipe calls for the red one)

METHOD

1. Rub the margarine into the flour until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

2.  Grate in the cheese.

3. Crumble in the stock cube, knead the mixture together to form a dough, then cover and put in the fridge to rest for half an hour.

4. Roll out the dough thinly onto a well-floured surface.

5.  Cut out shapes with a cutter (or small glass) and lay on a well-greased baking sheet.

6.  Bake in a pre-heated oven (170º fan/190ºC/350ºF) for 15 minutes.

7. Remove from oven and leave to cool.

8.  Leave washing-up in the hope that boyfriend will do it.

Setting Up

Every May as part of the Brighton Festival, many artists turn their homes into art galleries and open them to the public for four weekends.

This year I'm exhibiting in two houses and today I set up in one - 56 Tivoli Crescent. This house must surely have the best view of all the Open Houses - down the hill, over the train tracks and across to Preston Park and Preston Manor.

The house is owned by my lovely friend Moira Wills, whom I met through being an illustrator and teaching art at the old Eastbourne College Of Arts And Technology.  Moira produces vibrant and cheeky screenprints. I have two, but would love to own more if I had the wall space!

An unexpected bonus was Moira's gorgeous home-made soups for lunch (the leek & potato was my favourite) and she'd even baked her own bread to go with it!

Afterwards, as it was such a sunny day, Paul dragged me away from my many self-imposed work schedules and we caught the 77 bus to Devils Dyke.  It's amazing how one minute you can be in Brighton, with all its houses and traffic, and then suddenly be in the most gorgeous rolling hills with sheep, skylarks and steep woodland paths.

The Garden Show At Firle - Part Two

It feels weird not to be at Firle today after four days of being there - one for the set-up and three for the show itself.   I'm tired and having a much needed day off.

Firle was lovely - I so wish I'd had more time to really get out and enjoy the experience, especially on Saturday when the weather was gorgeous.  Unfortunately the Old Riding School - where the crafters were housed - was freezing!  I did get a chance to see a bit of the birds of prey display by the Huxley Bird of Prey Centre and snap up a bit of bread and cheese as well as some gorgeous Indian pickles from Manjira.  Their Garlic Pachadi is most tasty (and VERY garlicky).

The show was well attended, but it felt like hard work to make sales - almost as if people had come to have a look rather than make a purchase.  This always feels difficult, but you have to keep positive, not take it personally and try and think of it as advertising for the future as well.  However, I did do OK in the end.  I met some nice people and had a real giggle with Kate Lulham, who kindly drove me there and back every day.  We were particularly pleased that we managed to put up our gazebos together without man help.

The Garden Show at Firle - Part One

Whoah!  Just back from Firle, where I've been setting up for the Garden Show this weekend.

Firle is a beautiful Sussex village nestled in the South Downs and is as picturesque as you like.  It boasts a lovely pub, The Ram (I can recommend), pretty houses, and it sits at the bottom of Firle Beacon.  I think this part of the South Downs between Lewes and Polegate is just stunning.  I used to commute this way by train every week when I was teaching in Eastbourne and was constantly bewitched by the lovely soft undulations of the Downs and the way they change in different lights and seasons.

Today is sunny (though there is still a chilly wind) and Firle looked beautiful.  I hope it stays this way for the next three days!

This is my first time at the Garden Show and I have no idea what to expect.  After setting up in the Old Riding School I took a wander round the grounds - the event looks MASSIVE!

Such a shame that I will be behind my stall the whole time and won't get a chance to see everything.  I'm particularly intrigued by the fact that there will be birds of prey there, not to mention all the other stalls - of which there are masses.
 

The Garden Show at Firle
Friday 19th - Sunday 21st April
10am-5pm
More details here

Don't Just Stand There

Let's get to it
Strike a pose
There's nothing to it

It's Today!

It's today!!!

 

I'm going to have a nice big Easter lunch treat at the Lion & Lobster pub in Brighton and then I'm going to pick a WINNER.

Are you excited?  I'm excited.

I'm going to have to find a nice hat to pick the winner out of - shame I don't have a nice floral Easter bonnet handy.

Pop along to the Shark Alley Facebook page to get in there before I get back from the pub.

Only One Day to Go!

There's only one day left to enter the Mad March Hare Easter giveaway before the big draw on Easter Sunday.

This beautiful necklace could be YOURS!  Click here for details.  Good luck!